Result of AGM

Next PLC

18 May 2023

 

Contacts:	Alistair Mackinnon-Musson
	Rowbell PR	Tel:  [phone]
	Email: [e-mail]
Photographs:	Photographs available at: http://press.next.co.uk/media/company-images/campaignimages.aspx

NEXT plc ("NEXT")

Results of 2023 Annual General Meeting ("AGM")

The Board of NEXT plc is pleased to announce that at the AGM of NEXT shareholders held on 18 May 2023 all resolutions as set out in the Notice of Meeting contained in the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 28 January 2023 were passed.

All resolutions were put to the meeting and approved on a poll and results are detailed below.

The total number of shares on the register at 6.30 pm on 16 May 2023, being those eligible to be voted on at the AGM, was 128,448,963.

		For		Against		TOTAL VOTES CAST	% of shares on register at 6.30pm 16 May 2023	Votes withheld1
Resolution	Special / Ordinary	No. of Votes	%	No. of Votes	%	No. of Votes	%	No. of Votes
1 To receive and adopt the accounts and reports of the directors and auditor	Ordinary	97,308,515	99.70	294,328	0.30	97,602,843	75.99%	825,471
2 To approve the Remuneration Policy	Ordinary	82,611,467	83.99	15,751,694	16.01	98,363,161	76.58%	65,153
3 To approve the Remuneration Report	Ordinary	93,122,833	94.79	5,114,357	5.21	98,237,190	76.48%	190,866
4 To declare a dividend of 140 pence per ordinary share	Ordinary	98,425,002	100.00	1,521	0.00	98,426,523	76.63%	1,791
5 To elect Jeremy Stakol as a director	Ordinary	97,523,831	99.08	901,559	0.92	98,425,390	76.63%	2,666
6 To re-elect Jonathan Bewes as a director	Ordinary	95,432,934	96.96	2,992,635	3.04	98,425,569	76.63%	2,487
7 To re-elect Soumen Das as a director	Ordinary	94,381,546	96.64	3,279,642	3.36	97,661,188	76.03%	766,868
8 To re-elect Tom Hall as a director	Ordinary	94,235,612	95.74	4,189,550	4.26	98,425,162	76.63%	2,894
9 To re-elect Tristia Harrison as a director	Ordinary	95,433,876	96.96	2,991,593	3.04	98,425,469	76.63%	2,587
10 To re-elect Amanda James as a director	Ordinary	96,508,611	98.05	1,916,631	1.95	98,425,242	76.63%	2,814
11 To re-elect Richard Papp as a director	Ordinary	97,495,188	99.05	930,302	0.95	98,425,490	76.63%	2,566
12 To re-elect Michael Roney as a director	Ordinary	76,017,378	79.16	20,017,262	20.84	96,034,640	74.76%	2,393,416
13 To re-elect Jane Shields as a director	Ordinary	97,497,414	99.06	927,418	0.94	98,424,832	76.63%	3,224
14 To re-elect Dame Dianne Thompson as a director	Ordinary	95,422,066	96.95	3,002,478	3.05	98,424,544	76.63%	2,997
15 To re-elect Lord Wolfson as a director	Ordinary	97,640,359	99.20	785,605	0.80	98,425,964	76.63%	2,092
16 To re-appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as auditor	Ordinary	97,329,313	98.89	1,095,668	1.11	98,424,981	76.63%	3,333
17 To authorise the Audit Committee to set the auditor's remuneration	Ordinary	98,411,400	99.99	14,163	0.01	98,425,563	76.63%	2,751
18  Directors' authority to allot shares	Ordinary	95,502,438	97.03	2,921,758	2.97	98,424,196	76.63%	3,859
19 General authority to disapply pre-emption rights	Special	92,234,215	93.71	6,189,365	6.29	98,423,580	76.62%	4,475
20 Additional authority to disapply pre-emption rights	Special	90,556,247	92.19	7,675,143	7.81	98,231,390	76.48%	196,665
21 Authority for on-market purchase of own shares	Special	94,356,973	95.89	4,046,989	4.11	98,403,962	76.61%	24,352
22 Authority for off-market purchases of own shares		97,219,589	98.80	1,184,666	1.20	98,404,255	76.61%	24,059
Less votes disregarded under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006	Special	(3,000,000)				(3,000,000)
Resolution 22 total2		94,219,589	98.76	1,184,666	1.24	95,404,255	74.27%	24,059
23 Notice period of general meetings	Special	93,863,314	95.37	4,561,488	4.63	98,424,802	76.63%	3,512

Resolution 12

Whilst Resolution 12, to re-elect Michael Roney, was passed with a clear majority, the Board recognises that there was also a significant vote against this resolution. The Board will seek to engage with those shareholders who voted against this resolution. In accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code, an update on the views received from shareholders and details of any actions taken by the Company will be published no later than 18 November 2023 by way of Stock Exchange Announcement. A summary will also be published in the 2024 Annual Report and Accounts.

In accordance with LR 9.6.2 and 9.2.6ER(1), a copy of resolutions passed as special business will be submitted as soon as practicable to the National Storage Mechanism and will be available shortly for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.

Note¹:  The 'Vote Withheld' option is provided to enable the shareholder to abstain on any resolution. It is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the proportion of votes for and against a resolution.

Note²: The total maximum number of Ordinary Shares which may be purchased by NEXT for cancellation pursuant to such contingent purchase contracts is 3.0 million. NEXT has disregarded 3.0 million votes from both the total number of votes cast in favour of the resolution and the total votes cast so that the voting of those shares did not affect the result of the poll.

 

END